Introduction
The spiritual significance ingrained in even the most ordinary encounters of our day-to-day lives often goes unnoticed. However, the poems “Perhaps the World Ends Here” by Joy Harjo and “Saint Francis and the Sow” by Galway Kinnell are very eye-openers. They remind us of the mind-blowing implications found in seemingly ordinary settings. These poems share a similar theme of unearthing beauty and significance in life’s simple yet profound aspects.
Harjo busts out the metaphor of the kitchen table to shine a spotlight on the importance of sharing and creating everlasting memories. Likewise, in “Saint Francis and the Sow,” Kinnell paints a far-out picture of a sow to convey that even the most unassuming creatures can rock a sacred essence that inspires respect and awe. Both poems drive home the point that spirituality can be discovered in everyday moments, beyond flashy experiences, but in the little things and interactions that jazz up our lives.
Kinnell’s Earthy Spirituality in “Saint Francis and the Sow”
The spirituality of “Saint Francis and the Sow” rejects religious platitudes and romanticism in favor of the consideration of the true, sometimes unappealing truths of ordinary, earthly life. Within the scope of the poem, Francis can be considered a saint not merely since the Church has declared him to be one but also since he has fully encountered the sow and embraced her in all of her earthly manifestations.
The physical universe impacts aesthetics – the poem is likely to be the lost breath, not the transcendent song of the heavens, and the topic of Kinnell’s poetry is the creature that dies. It seems reasonable to stress that the poem has no contrived division between matter and soul. Spirit and body are to be in contact for the blessing to convert the sow “all down her thick length” (Kinnell line 16).
The spirit must first travel through the foul stink to reach the humblest location of everything – the sow’s tail. It cannot just surpass “the fodder and slops” (Kinnell line 18). Especially there, in its divine twist, celestial and terrestrial realms converge. Without this interplay involving matter and soul, the observable and unseen, the eminent and the sublime, there is no rejuvenation in Kinnell’s poetry. In his sacramental interaction with the universe, religious discourse takes on an earthiness as weighty as the swine.
Harjo’s Symbolism of the Table in “Perhaps the World Ends Here”
The kitchen table is the central subject of Joy Harjo’s poem “Perhaps the World Ends Here.” The author emphasizes the word by inserting a caesura after “table,” highlighting the item’s significance. The latter becomes Harjo’s primary metaphor, and as a result, it is positioned at a key point in the opening stanza.
The word “kitchen” alone has associations with care and nourishment. Later in the poetry, the author reiterates these points by adding that “tables” are only a metaphor for the space where people dine. Thus, food is the foundation for everything else since “we must eat to live” (Harjo line 1).
The balance of this line is direct, with a caesura dividing each line into two parts to reflect life’s stark realities. Indeed, people are to eat to survive “no matter what” (Harjo line 1). These statements have no lyrical meaning; they just express a straightforward reality that serves as the foundation for the remainder of the poem. Anything may be evaded, but eating and the ‘kitchen table’ must eventually come into contact with people; thus, it is a significant metaphor.
The metaphorical “table,” which represents life and everything contained inside it, goes between phases of “rain” and “sun” (Harjo line 7). These meteorological conditions serve as a pitiful illusion for human emotions, representing pleasure and despair.
The picture of the “table” is constantly there, firmly presenting a symbol of support, regardless of the precise feeling. The emphasis on the word “We” further categorizes the feeling of belonging that the author is expressing since it combines all of the individuals she has met and loved during her journey.
A Shared Vision: Spirituality in the Ordinary
At this point, it seems reasonable to compare the poems explored. In his masterpiece, Kinnell examines an innocence that simultaneously embraces and surpasses morality. It comes close to what is said to be a deeply moral philosophy that is more metaphysical than social. The action of Saint Francis brings the creature back into balance with the specifics of its own creation and the benefits of the soil.
Metaphorically, the sow’s “remembering” is a restoration of her personal ‘first garden,’ or that joyful stage (Kinnell line 16). The crucial element here is the metaphorical meaning of the sow, which seems to be the central subject of the poem to demonstrate the blurred line between the spiritual and mundane dimensions.In her poem, in turn, Harjo employs the metaphor of a “table” to represent all the possible outcomes for a person (line 1).
She proposes that it all takes place around a table, starting with the obvious idea that one has to eat to survive, then extending out through infancy and maturity, covering love and sorrow and overcoming the hardships of war. This perfectly captures the community sense implied by the word ‘table,’ which alludes to the desire to be in pleasant company.
Hence, Harjo, similarly to Kinnell’s approach, utilizes the ‘table’ – a completely material and plain subject – to depict humans’ spiritual aspirations toward being socialized and interacting with others. To sum up, despite the fact that Kinnell’s poem is more related to the religious dimension than Harjo’s piece, both poems utilize a material and understandable subject to metaphorically reflect the connection between the spiritual and terrestrial.
Conclusion
It should be re-stated that the above discussion was dedicated to the analysis and comparison of “Perhaps the World Ends Here” and “Saint Francis and the Sow.” It was suggested that people often fail to see the spiritual meaning entrenched in even the most routine interactions of our daily lives. The poetry of Joy Harjo and Kinnell, however, is truly eye-opening. They serve as a reminder of the astounding ramifications that might be discovered in apparently routine circumstances. Seeing beauty and meaning in life’s modest but deep details is a common topic in these poems.
To emphasize the value of bonding and making enduring memories, Harjo uses the metaphor of the kitchen table. Similar to this, Kinnell conjures a spectacular image of a sow in “Saint Francis and the Sow” to illustrate the point that even the most inconspicuous animals may possess a spiritual essence that arouses awe and reverence. Both poems emphasize how spirituality may be found in ordinary times, outside of grand events, in the little moments and encounters that provide flavor to everyday life.
Works Cited
Harjo, Joy. “Perhaps the World Ends Here.” Poetry Foundation, 1994. Web.
Kinnell, Galway. “Saint Francis and the Sow.” Poetry Foundation, 2002. Web.